Sleeping Warrior Short Stories
by Alexandra Thyme
Summary: A series of short stories, one-shots, and prompts I get from Tumblr. Mostly Sleeping Warrior, may include some Reading Warrior or Red Beauty eventually, but don't hold your breath.
1. Storybrooke AU

**Storybrooke AU**

Aurora had never in her entire life seen Phillip so vividly angry with anyone before, and she had certainly never been the target for any of his negative emotions. But now, as he loomed over her in his dirty gray plaid shirt, his hand raised to lash out again, the baby crying in the bassinet, his face was twisted in a grimace of hatred.

"You whore! How dare you call yourself my One True Love?!" he snarled, advancing on her as she scooted backwards into a corner, between the bookshelf and the ornate dresser. "I waited years for you, and the moment I disappear for a small while, you went and did _this_?!" He pointed at the baby over his shoulder, the poor thing now wailing at the loud noises of supposed beloved father.

"Phillip, _please_," Aurora pleaded, sobbing, tears shining against her cream skin, and the newly forming bruise against her cheekbone.

"You take that _thing_ and GET OUT of my sight before I kill you!"

He cuffed her as she rushed past him, gathering up the screaming bundle in her arms and running out of the bedroom, down the hall, down the stairs, and out of the front door before Phillip could stop her. The night was cold and her feet were bare, but she didn't care. She knew she had to get her child away from him.

. . .

Aurora didn't know how she made it all the way to Granny's Diner across town, but she stumbled in, her feet dirty and scuffed, bleeding a little, and wearing only her lilac silk nightgown underneath one of Phillip's purple plaid button-down shirts. She was shivering as she clutched her baby to her chest, the newborn still wailing.

Granny, followed closely by Ruby, herded her into the back, away from prying eyes of customers who were already forming judgmental opinions of her.

"You can have a room for free, now don't worry," hushed Granny as Aurora cried through her story of what had happened, helping. Ruby was positively bristling with anger as she prepared some food for Aurora.

"Should I go kill him?" she growled as she set a tray of warm soup and sandwiches down on the table next to the bed where Aurora would stay. The traumatized look in Aurora's face made Ruby soften, and she sat down on the bed next to her friend, wrapping her arm around the auburn-haired girl's shoulders and squeezing gently.

Granny bustled about the room, making sure that there were clean linens in the bottom drawer of the dresser, and checking for any dust on all surfaces. She gave a tight-lipped smile to Aurora, who was staring dejectedly down at the bundle now suckling at her breast.

"I'm afraid we don't have much in the way of clothes, but don't worry, we can get that sorted right away. Mary Margaret is about your size, and I'm sure she would not mind helping out."

"Please," said Aurora quietly, looking up, shame in her eyes. "Don't involve more people than is necessary." Granny shushed her, shaking her head.

"Now don't you even think of it that way, Aurora! Mary Margaret knows about being discreet, there won't be a problem."

. . .

Aurora lay quietly in the bed, looking down at her newborn snuggled against her side, peaceful in a slumber that could be disrupted easily by sound or movement. Despite her face stinging, her feet aching, and the horrid clenching feeling in her gut that her pain and sorrow had only just begun, she felt a fresh surge of love for this little human being, mere days old.

With a gentle slender finger, she traced down the slight slope of her baby's nose, then traced one of its eyebrows lightly.

"You are worth all the trouble, my little Magnolia," whispered Aurora, lightly brushing her lips against the baby's soft forehead.

There was a light rap on the door, to which Aurora called out softly, "Come in." The door slowly opened and revealed the kind face of Mary Margaret, looking anxious and concerned. She slid into the room, her one arm holding a paper bag, closing the door quietly with the other, her eyes searching the bedclothes for Aurora's infant.

"Is she all right, Aurora?" Mary Margaret asked, approaching the bed. When she could see Aurora's face more clearly, she started. "Oh my goodness, are _you_ all right?!"

Aurora's cheeks flushed, darkening the bruise that cut across her left cheekbone. "I'm getting by, Mary Margaret. I didn't let him touch her."

"But he touched _you_ and that is enough!" The cadence of Mary Margaret's voice raised a little in horror. "How _dare_ he hit you!"

Aurora grimaced. "Yes, Ruby is on your team with that. She asked me if I wanted her to-to go punish him."

"You should!" said Mary Margaret almost breathless with the anger she could feel rising up in her chest on behalf of her friend. "You are the sweetest, kindest, loveliest person that ever walked the earth, and Phillip will pay, one way or the other, for the way he's treated you!" She gently rubbed Aurora's arm, trying to comfort her. "Between Ruby and me, Phillip will never come near you again. I can guarantee that."

Aurora lowered her gaze, nodding. "I do appreciate that, more than I can say right now."

A silence hovered around them for several minutes, Mary Margaret placing the bag of clothes on a chair near the door, and then coming back to the bed to straighten the sheets and quilt. Finally, after a long guilty look at her friend, Mary Margaret brought herself to speak again.

"Have you heard from Mulan at all since Magnolia was born?" The question was hesitant, awkward. It brought Aurora close to tears, and she wiped her eyes quickly.

"I haven't heard from her since I told her I was pregnant. She has no idea, and I don't know where on earth she is." Her voice caught, and she didn't trust it enough to keep going.

Mary Margaret smiled down at the baby. "May I hold her?"

Aurora smiled for the first time since her friend had arrived. "Of course you can." She pulled back the bedclothes and lifted up the tiny bundle to Mary Margaret, who gently clasped the baby close to her body, pulling back the receiving blanket. Her eyes widened.

"Oh...my…"

Aurora nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "Phillip had good reason to be angry with me. That is Mulan's child, not his."

. . .

Mulan stepped out of her apartment, looking grim. The news of what Phillip had done to Aurora had spread through Storybrooke like wildfire, and she knew that if anyone knew where Aurora had gone, it would be either Belle or Ruby. Both had remained close to Aurora while Mulan had left, pursuing anything that wouldn't remind her of the beautiful auburn-haired girl.

Now Mulan was kicking herself. The rumors were bad. Phillip had supposedly beaten his wife black and blue, nearly killing their newborn. Aurora had fled wearing near rags, the baby sickly. It made Mulan want to go to Phillip's house and beat him until he couldn't move anymore, but before that she needed to know Aurora was all right.

She pushed through the library doors and Belle looked up from the book cart, holding a few books in her hands. A kind smile flitted across her features.

"Mulan. It's so nice to see you again!"

Mulan let a tight smile appear, nodding. "It's good to see you too, Belle. I need your help, or Ruby's help."

Belle's face grew dark with worry. "What is it?"

"It's Aurora."

Belle shook her head, trying to shelve the book currently in her right hand. "No, I'm sorry, but she is going through hell right now, and I couldn't do that to her-"

Mulan approached Belle, setting her hand over the librarian's, pulling the book down and setting it on the book cart. Belle looked uncomfortably up at Mulan, whose face was covered in pain.

"Please, I have to see her."

. . .

Ruby led Mulan up the stairs reluctantly, grumbling under her breath. "Took you long enough to get here. What did it take, the news that she was on her death bed?"

Her words pierced Mulan to the heart, but she knew that Ruby only cared for Aurora and her words were those of hurt and anger.

"I'm sorry, Ruby. I ran out on you and Belle too."

Ruby nodded, turning in the hallway. "Yes. You did. Aurora wasn't the only one who cried when you just up and disappeared!" She poked Mulan's sternum painfully. "Belle cried for days. She cared a lot about you, just like Aurora." She turned around again, leading the way to the room where Aurora was staying.

"I'm sorry. I really am. I'm here to stay this time."

"Yeah?" asked Ruby sarcastically. "Well forgive me if I say that you have to prove it." She stopped suddenly, letting out a sigh as they stood in front of the door. "You can't expect anything to be like it was, all right? We have all changed a little bit because of you, and now this-this crap with Phillip being an insane jealous jerk...it's just a lot for Aurora. I really don't want to let you see her, but if she hadn't been asking about you too, I wouldn't have brought you here in the first place."

A flicker of hope pierced the sadness in Mulan's heart. "She's been asking about me?"

Ruby grimaced. "Yes." She knocked softly on the door, and suddenly Mulan felt a surge of butterflies with razor wings burst into her abdomen. Her hands started to shake and she shoved them in her pockets as Ruby opened the door and asked something incoherent. There was a soft reply, the sound of Aurora's angel voice, and Mulan's heart flew up into her throat.

Ruby stood away from the door, holding the handle. "You be what she needs right now, no matter how you feel. Do you understand?" Her brown eyes pierced Mulan's.

Mulan nodded.

Ruby sighed, "Go ahead then. I'm going to wait out here."

Mulan took the doorknob from Ruby and gently pushed her way into the room, looking up to see old fading wallpaper, a yellow lamp shining rather brightly onto the bed, where Aurora sat, holding her baby, and at the moment, speaking in quiet tones to her child.

Ruby pulled the door shut after Mulan, who stepped forward and then stood still, watching Aurora with the baby. She couldn't see much past the blankets that held the infant, but she had a gut feeling that the newborn was just as beautiful as Aurora, possibly with Phillip's reddish-brown curls. A sad pang of jealousy and regret slugged her in the stomach, but the sensation was so old that she pushed it aside and cleared her throat.

Aurora looked up from her baby, her eyes softening, her mouth pulling into a small tired smile. Mulan felt a lump gather in her throat and tears prick the corners of her eyes.

"Hello," she whispered raggedly. "Aurora, I'm sorr-"

"No," Aurora shook her head, her smile widening. "Please come here, Mulan!" She reached out with her one unoccupied arm and Mulan stepped across the wooden floor, over the thread-bare rug, and bent down to embrace her best friend. Aurora's words came out in a rush, her voice quiet in Mulan's ear. "I have missed you so much."

The tears overflowed down her cheeks as Mulan pressed her face into Aurora's hair, being careful to leave room in the embrace for the infant, who was watching the adults with wide, slate-blue, almond-shaped eyes.

Aurora stroked Mulan's ebony hair. "Before you go on with a million apologies, I want you to know that although I have missed you terribly, I don't blame you for what has happened since you left, all right?" She kissed Mulan's cheek gently, rubbing it afterwards with her thumb as she regarded the shamed look in Mulan's tear-stained face.

"I blame myself. You don't have to do anything," whispered Mulan as her eyes searched Aurora's face, finding love in it. Aurora smiled.

"I want you to meet someone." She held up the baby toward Mulan, pulling back the blanket that snugly wrapped her up. "This is Magnolia."

Mulan's eyes widened, her mouth slackening in shock. "But-but she looks nothing like you or Phillip!"

Aurora looked anxious. "I know. She looks like you." She watched Mulan carefully, beginning to worry that Mulan would reject the baby. The fear gathered in her face. But Mulan gathered up Magnolia in her arms and gazed down at the angelic face in pure adoration.

"She's mine?" she breathed, carefully brushing her finger against Magnolia's silky soft cheek. "How is this possible?" Her eyes shone with joyful tears as she looked from the baby and saw Aurora gazing up at her with tears of her own, a smile of pure joy across her face.

"When you gave me my heart...it was an act of True Love. And just like Emma Swan, our baby is a product of True Love." Aurora's voice broke into a laugh. "She looks so much like you!"

Mulan's lip trembled as she smiled down through her tears, stroking Magnolia's small tuft of ebony fuzz on the crown of her head. "I wish she looked more like you."

Aurora smiled through fresh tears of happiness. "I'm so glad she doesn't!"

{_Falalalalalalalaaaaaa this was SOOOOO much fun to write! It is a response to __**dianamustang1**__'s gif set of the Storybrooke AU. Sadly, I kind of put my own twist on it and didn't follow her idea entirely. Sorry! It just flowed into what it is! My muse was singing into my ear, I couldn't stop! I hope you enjoy this fic nonetheless!}_


	2. When You Leave

_{**sangamanga** said: "I really want Sleeping Warrior to meet each other again but, in my headcanon, Aurora probably wouldn't be too happy when she first sees Mulan again. I wouldn't be surprised if she gave Mulan a piece of her mind for leaving so suddenly."  
__Not asked to write this, just saw it in the sleeping warrior tag ^_^}_

**When You Leave**

Snow sat down across Aurora in the booth, cradling baby Neal gently and fixing Aurora with that knowing look.

"Are you okay?

Aurora rubbed her belly, anxiousness on her face as she looked up and replied,

"I haven't seen Phillip."

Snow nodded, understanding in her eyes.

"It will all work out. Don't worry."

Aurora nodded, looking down again at her stomach, where a tiny movement could barely be seen. She placed her hand over it and sighed. Snow nodded awkwardly and scooted out of the booth, walking over to Emma and David.

Emma looked curious. "What's up?"

Snow looked conspiriatorially from her daughter to her husband, lowering her voice.

"Aurora hasn't seen Phillip since the curse was broken."

David shifted his stance, a small frown creasing his forehead. "That can't be good."

Snow swatted his arm. "Stop that! We can't assume anything bad. For Aurora we have to keep a good face until we find evidence-"

Grumpy's arrival was announced by the bell ringing at the door as he stepped inside Granny's Diner.

"We've found those people that Zelena turned into flying monkeys. Charming, Snow, I think you need to come see this."

Giving each other the mutual glance of, "Okay, we're ready, let's go," they headed out of the Diner after Grumpy. Aurora watched them leave, anxiety creasing her face as she blinked rapidly and shook her head, again touching her stomach as if seeking comfort in it. Emma saw it, and she walked over to the booth, sliding into the seat a little awkwardly.

"Hey Aurora. How are you holding up?"

If anything, the unshed tears in Aurora's eyes were enough of an answer, but she spoke in a quavering voice.

"I don't think Phillip made it."

Emma looked painfully uncomfortable, but she tried to go for comforting anyway.

"Well worst case scenario, he was killed as a monkey. And although that's a very sad thought, as long as you get yourself ready for it, you won't be setting yourself up for major disappointment if that isn't the case, you know?"

Aurora looked horrified. Emma grimaced.

"I know, I'm horrible. But I promise, thinking the worst and hoping for the best is the only way I know how to cope with the unknown."

Aurora's eyes drifted down to the tabletop, a tear dropping down her cheek. Emma sighed.

"Remind me later that I should stick to law-keeping and not counseling."

. . .

Mulan awoke in a forest, faint birdsong and the buzzing of insects and the soft green light overhead seeming familiar at first. But as soon as she had sat up and looked around, she realized that she did not recognize this forest. It certainly wasn't the Enchanted Forest. She slowly stood up, using a tree to help her balance. Something felt very off here, and the worst part about her current situation was she couldn't remember how she had come to this place.

It had been at least a year since she had said goodbye to Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men. At first the idea had seemed idyllic for her, helping others on their quests of good, but after her encounter with Aurora, she didn't have the heart for traveling companions. Initially she had thought that joining up with Robin would give her an excuse to forget about Aurora, but the reality of it struck her in the face every day. Seeing Robin catalyzed her thoughts of their conversation, of all of Mulan's hopes about Aurora, and then the fated meeting that had started out beautifully and ended in tragedy.

Mulan shook her head, berating herself silently for engaging in the thought process she knew would make her severely depressed for the remainder of the day. So she busied herself with discovering this new stretch of land.

Funnily enough, her memories of the past year were a little hazy, and although she could recount staying in many a tavern and drunkenly fighting minor monsters in the Enchanted Forest for fun afterwards, she felt ashamed that she had not done anything more productive.

_I was like a silly love-struck child. I cannot do that anymore._

There was a faint path through the underbrush that looked like it got quite a bit of large game use (_probably deer_, she thought) and to make her journey a little easier, she followed it, keeping an eye out for any signs of human life.

After less than an hour, she followed a slope downward until the trees thinned out and she stood at the edge of what appeared to be a road. But there were no carriage tracks, and upon further inspection (which consisted of tapping, knocking, kicking and smelling) of the road, she found it was the strangest rock formation she had ever seen. Somehow hundreds of thousands of tiny black rocks had been fused together to make this hard path that curved off in both directions.

Leaving the choice up to fate, she turned left and began following the strange road.

Not much later, a strange village appeared around a curve of this woodland road, and although Mulan could tell that what she was looking at were dwellings, she had never seen houses, much less a village, that looked quite like this place did.

"Where _am _I?" she asked herself out loud, her voice raspy. She did not break her pace, but continued along the stone road.

"Mulan!" A familiar voice hailed her, and as she looked around for the source, she saw a woman about her size with beautiful hazelnut colored hair running up to greet her.

"Belle?" Her face broke into a smile. "Belle!"

"Come out of the road before you get run over!" laughed Belle, leading Mulan onto the sidewalk and then embracing her friend. "Oh my goodness, where have you _been_?"

They pulled apart, smiling at one another.

"I adventured on my own for a long while. But where am I now? What is this place?" asked Mulan, looking around again at the buildings.

Belle's smile was affectionate. "This is Storybrooke. And there are a lot of people who will be so happy to see you've arrived!"

. . .

It was mostly a blur. Snow White and Prince David/Charming and their new baby (_when did she get pregnant_?), Emma and her son Henry (_I can see why she was so anxious to return to him_), Robin, newly reunited with his wife (_wait, she died-didn't she_?), and a whole slew of people Mulan had never met, but Belle was very well acquainted with everyone and wanted Mulan to feel like she could get her bearings around all the strangers.

There was one person Mulan wanted to see, but she was nowhere to be found, and she felt herself getting disappointed over and over as she searched for that one beautiful face in the crowd. Belle noticed Mulan's slight expression change with every interaction, and gently led her to the library, which was a quiet place, full of books and a lovely silence.

The doors closed and Belle locked them, walking over to a window and flipping over the open sign to say "closed."

Mulan walked along a bookshelf, letting her gaze flicker over the books lazily. Her thoughts were somewhere else, but she was trying to lead them to other non-painful thoughts. She was not succeeding. She turned when she felt Belle's hand on her shoulder.

"I've heard her ask about you."

Mulan kept herself from flinching and nodded without turning to face her friend. Belle moved in front of her friend, brushing away a tear that Mulan wasn't aware had happened.

"She's been waiting in the back room. She can't face the news of Phillip's death alone, and so she came here seeking peace and quiet, away from the town bustle." Belle gave Mulan an understanding look. "She needs someone with her who knew Phillip."

As Belle left the library, Mulan moved farther inside, approaching a beautiful, ornate mahogany door that separated the library into two parts. Mulan's gut clenched painfully. She had put off seeing either Aurora or Phillip for so long, she didn't know the reception she would get now. Truthfully, Aurora was the last person she wanted to see, and yet the ache she kept buried in her heart told her that was a selfish thought.

She closed her eyes, opened the door, and stepped inside the room. The figure sitting in the chair across the room spoke without looking up from a baby book she was perusing.

"I don't need anything Belle, you're very sweet, but-"

Aurora glanced up, and then her eyes widened as she realized who she was seeing. The book fell out of her lap as she stood up. The silence growing between them was so heavy that Mulan could feel the pressure of it bearing down on her, the sound of her heart pounding in her ears.

"Where have you been?" Aurora's voice was so quiet, her expression that of slowly growing anger, that Mulan did not know how to react. She swallowed and blinked rapidly a few times.

Finally she stammered out, "I'm sorry I never-"

Aurora stopped inches from her friend, no contact, but the proximity to her was chilling as Mulan felt the anger radiating off of her.

"That you never what, Mulan?" asked Aurora, her voice deceptively calm as she struggled to keep her hands from shaking. "That you never, ever, not even ONCE, sent a message to us letting us know you were alive?" Her breath caught as she tried to stay calm. "Are you sorry that you never gave ANY explanation for why you were leaving and NEVER COMING BACK? Is that what you're sorry for?"

Mulan clenched her fists nervously. "Is that what you want me to say?"

Aurora exploded. "NO!" She circled away from Mulan, visibly shaking now as she paced away and back again, her face full of fury. "Why did you leave?! Do you even KNOW what I've been through since you left?!"

Mulan shook her head, shame creeping up on her face. "No, I do not."

Her honest reply did cause Aurora to stop for a moment, and the anger faded a little.

"I care about you Mulan, and I was worried sick about you. You NEVER wrote, you NEVER let us know where you were or what was happening-I didn't even see you during the second curse! I thought you'd died!" Aurora said, looking, searching, for the answers in Mulan's sad eyes.

"I'm sorry."

Aurora shook her head and turned away. "I thought you cared about us. I foolishly thought that through our adventures together you had cared about me. But you left us-you left me so easily."

Mulan clenched her jaw, the muscles moving in her cheek as she kept quiet.

Aurora turned back, her eyes pleading. "Why? Please tell me why."

"If I told you it wouldn't matter, because I can't take back the time I was gone," said Mulan quietly, looking away. Aurora approached her, touching her cheek where a tear was slowly carving its way downward.

"Please. Tell me," Aurora more-or-less commanded, gently, her blue-green eyes searching Mulan's face.

"Because," whispered Mulan, her eyes flicking up to Aurora's. "I love you."

Aurora almost laughed incredulously, the look of surprise etched on her features. "You love me?"

"That day I was going to tell you I loved you, and I was going to ask you to leave Phillip and come with me. But you told me about your baby, and I knew that I couldn't do that to you, or to Phillip, or your unborn child. I would be the thorn in your side, the wedge between you and Phillip, and I couldn't do that to you. Especially since I could see how happy you were." Mulan smiled sadly, another tear gracefully grazing down her cheek.

"Love is sacrifice. That's all it is for you, isn't it? It was one of the first things you ever said to me, and you truly believe it." Aurora's tone was that of amazement. "You silly, stupid woman, how could you think that I would stop caring about you if you told me you loved me?"

Mulan bit the inside of her cheek, looking away as Aurora stroked her cheek, wiping away a few more of her tears.

"So to be clear, you loved me, so you left me?" asked Aurora gently.

Mulan nodded. "Not the noblest of sentiments behind my actions that day, but-"

Aurora stopped her by setting her fingers against Mulan's lips. "But that day, you broke my heart, the heart that you, not Phillip, returned to me."

Mulan's jaw dropped, and Aurora sadly smiled knowlingly at her.

"Please, don't leave this time. You are all that I have left in this world until the baby comes," she begged, taking Mulan's hand gently in both of hers.

Mulan whispered, "I'll never leave you again."


End file.
